Upgrades completed this past fall at Mulberry Art Studios parking lot, accessed from West King Street, will allow infiltration of approximately 150,000 gallons of stormwater off of adjoining buildings, as well as sheet flow from the parking lot.
For more information on other Commercial properties click here.
A number of Curbside gardens have popped up surrounding other green infrastructure projects throughout Lancaster City. They often extend from the curb or intersection, serving to both capture stormwater, while also slowing traffic and making these areas safer for pedestrians.
Lancaster is one of many City’s undertaking such projects. Here is an article recently published in the New York Times New York Plants Curbside Gardens to Soak Up Storm-Water Runoff – NYTimes com.
Examples from the City of Lancaster:
Other examples can be found here
Abstract: When a granular material is impacted by a sphere, its surface deforms like a liquid yet it preserves a circular crater like a solid. Although the mechanism of granular impact cratering by solid spheres is well understood, our knowledge on granular impact cratering by liquid drops is still very limited. Using high-speed photography, we investigate liquid-drop impact dynamics on granular media. Surprisingly, we find that granular impact cratering by liquid drops follows the same energy scaling as that of asteroid impact cratering. Inspired by this similarity, we develop a simple model that quantitatively describes the observed crater morphologies. Our study sheds light on the mechanisms governing raindrop impacts on granular surfaces and reveals an interesting analogy between familiar phenomena of raining and catastrophic asteroid strikes.
journal article: http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1407/1407.7420.pdf
2014 updates to Tree Planting in the City of Lancaster…Everything you ever wanted to know about trees and a whole lot more…
The City of Lancaster tree ordinance acknowledges the urban forest as a necessary part of the City’s infrastructure. This green infrastructure provides numerous crucial ecosystem services to the city including environmental (stormwater management, carbon sequestration and urban wildlife habitat), social (human health, healing, and quality of life), and economic (increased property values, increased business activity and decreased energy use). However, the increased creation of urban land over time, coupled with the challenges in adequately maintaining the urban forest and tree canopy has created the need to further protect and conserve this valuable City resource.
A copy of the Trees Ordinance can be found here.
The regulations of this Tree Manual are intended to reduce tree canopy loss and implement urban forest management improvements through requirements for the planting and transplanting of trees, the care and maintenance of existing trees, tree protection, and the preservation of trees within the City of Lancaster.
This Tree Manual is supplemental to Chapter 273, Trees, of the Code of the City of Lancaster and establishes minimum standards for the design of landscapes so as to improve the community aesthetically, economically and environmentally.
A copy of the Tree Manual can be found here.
To learn more about the City tree program click here
Most City homes boarder an alley way and a majority of those are Common Alleys where each property owner shares ownership and responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance. It’s with this in mind that the City has piloted a project to work with property owners to help with upgrades to their alleys while also increasing capacity to capture stormwater. The Brewery Alley is located along E Walnut Street. Construction was completed in the fall of 2014 and it is estimated that the alley will capture nearly 150,000 gallons annually.
To learn more about similar projects click here.
For more information on green streets and alleys click here (PDF).
The Snavely and Dosch property runs along Water Street and Linear Park. With a particular focus on addressing rain water run-off from commercial properties along Linear Park work was recently completed that includes several bio-retention (rain gardens), bio-swales, and an infiltration trench (stone basin underneath the parking lot) that will help capture approximately 675,000 gallons annually.
For more information on other commercial projects click here.
The City of Lancaster hosted our first Adopt-A-Rain Garden event Saturday morning, October 25 at Brandon Park with volunteers from the Junior League of Lancaster. For more information about how you can get involved contact us here.
A Stormwater Planter is typically a wooden planter that captures, filters, and temporarily stores runoff diverted from a downspout. Some of the captured runoff is removed by plants and the remaining water is filtered through soil media and stored at the planter’s base.
Many residences in the city have downspouts tied directly into the City’s combined storm / sewer system and therefore contribute to combined sewer overflows that pollute our local waterways. Retrofitting residences with Stormwater Planters can reduce local flooding and protect water quality by capturing, treating and storing runoff before it leaves the property. They also provide low maintenance aesthetically-pleasing “green space” in urbanized areas.
BREAKING: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation just released a comprehensive report–the first of its kind!–on the economic benefits of cleaning up our Bay and its rivers and streams. Read on. The numbers are staggering!
Green Infrastructure Garden Tour at the Wolf Museum
Wednesday September 17; 5:00-7:00pm
Join us in the garden for light refreshments and live music
The Lancaster County Conservancy in partnership with the Wolf Museum are hosting a green infrastructure garden tour of the recently completed residential demonstration project located in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Lancaster City.
-In the spring Conservancy staff and volunteers from the Wolf Museum and neighborhood spent two days transforming a portion of the native plant garden to include a rain garden and dry creek.
-These two landscape features, along with rain barrels will help capture over 40,000 gallons annually keeping the stormwater flow from the City’s combined sewer system.
-The open house will feature a garden tour by local plant and green infrastructure experts. Learn about the green infrastructure planning process and how you can duplicate this on your own property.
-Light refreshments (food, beer, and wine). Plus live music in the garden
Green Infrastructure Garden Tour at the Wolf Museum
423 W Chestnut Street (corner of Lancaster Ave and W Chestnut St.)
Wednesday September 17; 5-7pm
Suggested donation of $10; everyone is welcome
To register click here
(Rain date is September 18th)